Sustainability

The energy issue

Energy plays a vital role in the development of society. Without energy mankind would have not achieved the present levels of prosperity and quality of life. Without sufficient energy resources available, the future economic development would be undermined. Despite the recent price increases, energy is still relatively cheap. Therefore we are all used to consuming huge quantities of energy without thinking about it, as we are not aware of our real needs. The world energy scenario is characterized by constant energy reserves, relatively stable prices that tend to grow, and a strongly increasing demand, especially in developing countries.
However, the most exploited energy sources so far, i.e. fossil fuels, are marked by negative features as well: they are bound to finish, sooner or later.
Fossil fuel reserves have certainly increased in the last 25 years, thanks to new deposits and the more intense exploitation of already existing ones, by means of modern technologies. Differently from what people thought at the end of the Seventies, the physical depletion of these “fossil” resources will not be immediate. It will still take a few decades (around 20 for coal, 5-6 for natural gas, 4 for oil) to develop alterative energy sources. Therefore, the problem has only been postponed, but there is not so much time left”!
Another serious problem is that fossil fuels are, in many cases, a source of environmental pollution, in particular air pollution. 
This problem is exacerbated by the difference among nations in terms of prosperity level achieved. The distribution of energy consumption is very anomalous: 20% of the world population (from the richest countries) use 80% of the energy produced. This situation is in contrast with the principle of equality between people, sustainable development and global quality of life. 
Regions like Africa or India are at present very poor (the income per head in some areas is well below the breadline) and hope to increase their prosperity. To achieve this result they need to use more energy (to make more industries work and ensure sufficient light and heating to the households). Where will this additional energy come from? Probably, if they follow the western development model mainly based on the use of fossil energy, the impact on the environment will be remarkable and, as many researchers claim, mankind could cause grave climatic changes (e.g. greenhouse effect) with extremely damaging consequences for mankind itself. The consequence is “unsustainable” development from the environmental viewpoint. On the other hand, poorer countries cannot be asked to renounce their economic and social development, also because economic and social imbalances among nations are potential sources of political instability, war and great migration flows.  The continuation of the current situation or a partial improvement would lead to an “unsustainable” development from the economic and social viewpoint.
How can those problems be solved? Since their dimension is international, the countries of the world are endeavouring to reach an agreement through all the international institutions which may play a vital role.